BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The hospitals or other health care organizations that own and operate the walk-in medical clinics in Wal-Mart's stores will be responsible for setting their own prices. But Wal-Mart will do what it can to make sure the clinics appeal to the kind of people who shop its stores.
'Hopefully what we can accomplish with this model is to bring the strengths of what the Wal-Mart brand offers with the strengths of what the third party offers,' says Alicia Ledlie, senior director of health business development at Wal-Mart.
Part of what Wal-Mart brings to the table is its ability to keep costs low.
'The efficiencies that we have in purchasing and building and design--we can bake that into this model and pass those savings on to our tenants.' Ledlie points out. 'And because we believe that everyday-low pace to our customers is predicated on having everyday-low costs, that means having a low overhead allows one to turn around and pass those savings on to your customer.'
Wal-Mart is also committed to working with hospitals that share its vision.
'We're looking to partner with hospitals that have a mission that's aligned with ours,' Ledlie says. 'That means they believe it's important to offer value to their patients, and they understand that pricing transparency, while not something that one typically sees in health care, is fundamental to this model.'
Pricing transparency--the fact that customers know the price of different treatments in advance--is particularly important, especially given that about 55% of clinic customers are people without health insurance coverage. A routine visit to a clinic typically costs between $40 and $65, Wal-Mart says.
But just as Wal-Mart attracts consumers from a wide range of income levels, the retailer has designed its in-store clinic model to appeal to a diverse population.
'What's interesting is that this model can appeal to people across the income spectrum,' Ledlie says. 'That obviously includes people who are financially pressed, but also those who have health insurance but who are time-pressed.
'We want to create a clinic model that feels comfortable, appealing, hygienic and attractive, so that anyone who has 15 minutes and needs something taken care of will feel comfortable about coming in.'
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
